Muslim Brotherhood members sentenced to death

Egyptian court sentences 529 members of the outlawed group to death on charges of murder. Last updated: 24 Mar 2014 19:37

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An Egyptian court has sentenced 529 members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood to death on charges including murder, in a sharp escalation of a crackdown on the movement !amily members stood outside the courthouse screaming after the verdict " the biggest mass death sentence handed out in Egypt#s modern history, defence lawyers said $urmoil has deepened since the army overthrew Egypt#s first freely elected president, Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, in %uly

&potlight !ollow our ongoing coverage of the political crisis in Egypt 'uman rights groups said Monday#s verdict suggested the authorities intended to tighten their s(uee)e on the opposition, according to the *euters news agency &tate television reported the sentences without comment A government spokesman and other government officials did not immediately respond to calls Most of the defendants at Monday#s hearing were detained and charged with carrying out attacks during clashes which erupted in the southern province of Minya after the forced dispersal of two Muslim Brotherhood protest camps in +airo on August ,.$he court has decided to sentence to death 529 defendants, and ,/ were ac(uitted,. defence lawyer Ahmed al"&harif told *euters $he men can appeal against the ruling $he Muslim Brotherhood, now largely driven underground, responded by calling for the .downfall of military rule. on its official website Mohamed Mahsoub, who served as minister of legal affairs under Morsi, described the court#s decision .a ruling calling for the e0ecution of 1ustice. on his !acebook page &upporters set fire to a nearby school in protest, state television reported, though security officials said they had received no reports of unrest $he charges against the group, on trial in Minya since &aturday, include violence, inciting murder, storming a police station, attacking persons and damaging public and private property 'Quickest case' .$his is the (uickest case and the number sentenced to death is the largest in the history of the

1udiciary,. said lawyer 2abil Abdel &alam, who defends some Brotherhood leaders, including Morsi .A second year student in the faculty of law would never issue this verdict,. said Mohamed 3aree, program manager, +airo 4nstitute for 'uman *ights &tudies .$here are a lot of flaws in this verdict 4 think maybe an appeal could be successful but nothing is predictable . 'A 'ellyer, an Egypt e0pert and fellow at 5& think"tank the Brookings 4nstitution, said he doubted the sentences would be carried out .2evertheless, the very issuing of the sentence itself is (uite significant,. he said 6n $uesday, the Muslim Brotherhood#s &upreme 7uide, Mohamed Badie, and /82 others will face trial on charges of incitement to kill 6nly ,29 of the defendants were in court on Monday $he rest were either released, out on bail or on the run .:hen the trial starts on &aturday and it is 1ust a procedural hearing, and the 1udge doesn#t listen to any lawyers or witnesses and doesn#t even call the defendants, you are before a group of thugs and not the 1udiciary,. :alid, a relative of one of the defendants, told *euters by phone $he move comes as Al %a)eera 1ournalists will be returning to court as part of their ongoing trial for spreading false news and being part of a terrorist organisation Al %a)eera denies all charges levelled against its staff